Michelle Obama is first to wear dress from new Jason Wu diffusion line – three months before it hits stores

Michelle Obama is first to wear dress from new Jason Wu diffusion line – three months before it hits stores Miss Wu launches on January 7th at Nordstrom, with prices starting at $195

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UPDATED:

15:36 GMT, 5 October 2012

It is a dress Jackie Kennedy could have worn 60 years earlier, from its pastel tone to the Sixties sensibility. But far from reaching into the past, Michelle Obama's dusty green shift is from Jason Wu's yet-to-be released contemporary label, Miss Wu, which doesn’t hit stores until January 2013.

The First Lady was photographed in the brand new collection's 'modern weave dress' at a campaign
event in Cincinnati, Ohio – which she paired with a cropped cardigan and a statement necklace.

Mrs Obama has long been a vocal supporter of Jason Wu, and now, three years after putting his name on the mainstream fashion map, famously appearing his design at the Inaugural Ball in 2009, the First Lady is the first person to wear a piece from his new collection.

Instrumental in catapulting the then up-and-coming designer into the hungry eyes of American mass retail, Mrs Obama has worn his designs on many occasions, including on the cover of Vogue.

While the First Lady usually wears pieces on the back-end of a collection's shelf life, she has firmly established herself as someone who supports young talent, and according to The Daily Beast, the Miss Wu dress was sent to her by the designer.

The new contemporary collection, which is 'a little bit more playful and a little younger,' will retail for less than the Jason Wu line, and launches in partnership with Nordstrom in January.

The 29-year-old designer told WWD: 'Instead of just doing “Jason Wu-for-less,” the idea is to explore the other side of myself.

'I always see Jason Wu [the
collection] as my aesthetic, my design sensibility. Miss Wu is my
personality. It was really fun to explore that facet of who I am –
slightly more downtown, and with a more relaxed attitude.'

The collection retails from 'an approachable' $195 for a sleeveless silk bow blouse to
$795 for a black leather jacket. Whereas a
garment from the Jason Wu collection averages about $1,700.

Miss Wu: The First Lady was photographed in the brand new collection's 'modern weave dress' at a campaign
event in Cincinnati, Ohio – which she paired with a cropped cardigan and a statement necklace

Jeffrey Kalinsky, Nordstrom’s executive vice president of designer merchandising, explained: 'There’s a large audience who wants to wear his clothes.

'This collaboration has an appeal not just to a younger set of women, but to a broader set of women and at prices that are approachable.

'What’s great is that while feeling different from the Jason Wu signature collection, it still clearly has Jason’s design DNA.'

Mr Wu added: 'One thing that is rare in the contemporary market is more feminine, girlier clothes. It tends to be more hard-edged, or too young. I felt this is something that brings a little bit of softness.'

The first collection of Miss Wu, inspired by the Sixties, will be available at Nordstrom, as well as at nordstrom.com for one year, starting January 7th.